The Sacred Manager Life - Chapter 59

“No matter how drunk I get, I’d never say anything I don’t mean to you, Manager-nim.”

All I heard was her asking me to like her.

“I think I understand how you feel now, unnie. Putting someone in your heart—it’s such a good feeling, but it’s not easy.”

I didn’t know what to say.

It was the same with Cha Soyeon. 

These kinds of confessions… I never know how to respond.

I mean, I’m not someone worthy enough to hear things like this from 

Cha Soyeon or Yeoreum.

[Putting yourself down too much is a form of arrogance.]

The divine spirit gave me another scolding.

I almost asked what she and Cha Soyeon had talked about, but kept my mouth shut.

It might be a secret too difficult to share with someone else.

“I’m not asking you to do anything right now. Just like you said, Manager-nim—we’re supposed to shine on stage. Let’s talk again after we’ve climbed up to the place you want us to reach.”

The word “us” lingered in the air, strangely stirring my heart.

*****

“What do you mean it was only half a success?”

“Well… I kissed him, but… it was while he was sleeping.”

Ryu Yeoreum’s voice was full of gloom as she talked to Cha Soyeon on the phone.

“Like you said, I practiced everything—passing the drink with my lips and feeding him cherries by mouth… but I ended up getting drunk first and just babbled nonsense. 

Heeing… I’m sorry. You even set up the whole scene for me.”

“So you woke up in the middle and kissed him in a rush?”

“Yes…”

“How did it feel?”

“How did it feel?”

“Yeah. When your lips touched Juwon-ssi’s.”

“Um… it felt good. Soft… I couldn’t use my tongue because I was afraid he’d wake up… but I gently sucked on his lips while covering them fully, and it felt weird. 

My lower belly tingled, and I kind of wished Manager-nim would suck on me too… haah, it was that kind of feeling.”

She couldn’t stay still, flustered even as she held the phone.

“This was only half of it, so… I hope unnie will understand when I go for the other half later.”

“I don’t mind that, but… you know I was first, right? That my first experience comes before yours.”

“Yes. You’re three years older than me, so you should experience it at least before you get any older.”

Crack!

A sound that shouldn’t be heard came from the other end of the line.

“Hmmm, didn’t think a mere three-year age gap would be used to provoke me… Maybe we should make a bet on who Juwon-ssi hugs more in the end.”

“If it’s something like that, then the younger one—me—has the upper hand…”

“Forget age. Got any proof shots?”

“I took one. I’ll send it to you later.”

“Good job.”

“But… why do we need proof shots like that?”

“It’s a keepsake. 

And evidence. 

Juwon-ssi is responsible, so even without stuff like this, he’ll take responsibility if he touches us. 

But don’t you think it’d be fun to collect little records showing that he’s ours? 

I’m going to record my first experience too, on video.”

“T-That’s a bit…”

“Don’t you want to commemorate the moment when your body is at its most beautiful and you’re in Juwon-ssi’s arms?”

“Ah…”

Cha Soyeon’s sweet tongue had completely swept her away.

“Yujin and Sora unnie recorded it too. They said it’s even more thrilling when they play it back sometimes.”

“Haa… S-stop it.”

“Hmm? Was that a bit too stimulating for a pure virgin?”

“You’re a virgin too, unnie!”

“I’m a determined virgin, so this much is fine. But you? You don’t seem ready yet. If Juwon suddenly gets excited and starts taking your clothes off, can you handle it?”

Boom!

Ryu Yeoreum was once again pushed past her limits by the provocation.

“You’d better be ready too. Once you’ve decided to seduce Juwon, you never know when the spark might ignite.”

*

I was taking out a prop box from the trunk, but my ears kept tingling.

“Is someone talking about me?”

*****

“The shoot’s location is an island called Manwoldo. I got a location scouting video—let’s talk while we watch it.”

Team Leader Park Chanhyuk played the video in the meeting room.

It was a remote island, a 3-hour boat ride from Mokpo.

Its shape resembled a ‘T’, with the top and bottom stretched long.

There was a scenic beach next to the dock, and a village nestled in a basin surrounded by mountains.

“About 40 households live there, but half the homes are empty. A lot of people actually live in Mokpo or Heuksando and only stay there temporarily when fishing.”

The house to be used as a set was located near the edge of the village, partway up the mountain.

“There’s a walking trail behind it, so we can shoot dialogue scenes while walking. If you go further down, there’s a rocky area where you can fish.”

“We’re going to fish?”

“Yeah. Most of the vegetables are from the garden, but the concept is to catch the seafood yourself for the cooking. Pulling veggies from a garden doesn’t look good on screen, but fishing or pulling traps does—viewers love that stuff.”

There were even entire channels dedicated to fishing, so yeah… Producer Shin Dongho had a good idea.

“Who’s doing the fishing?”

“Juwon, of course.”

“Me?”

My dad loved fishing, so I’d gone with him a few times. 

But honestly, I never got why people enjoyed such a boring activity.

Now I’m supposed to do that on camera for others to watch?

“There are two guys in the cooking team, but you’re the only one fit enough to fish or pull up traps. I heard the octopus there is really good, so catch a nice one.”

The island was famous for sea bream fishing.

Croaker, sea bream, and cutlassfish were also plentiful, but way too tricky for a beginner like me.

“Besides our girls, who else is appearing?”

“Only the cooking team is confirmed. Still casting for the guest team.”

————————————————————————–

Ryu Yeoreum — Red Blossom (Leader)

Song Sera — Red Blossom (Main Vocal)

Rina — Red Blossom (Rapper)

Min Ahyoung — Actress

Park Seungho — Comedian, former CEO of Smile Factory

—————————————————————————–

Team Leader Song Seungjun admires the list of participants.

“Finding the Red Blossom girls is impressive, but adding Min Ahyoung and Park Seungho too… this is why PD Shin is doing so well.”

While I was curious about the comedian Park Seungho, I needed to learn more about Min Ahyoung first.

I need to prevent her death during this shoot.

“Why did actress Min Ahyoung fall off the radar?”

“It’s hard to say she ‘fell off.’ She had a few unsuccessful projects, but she was still frequently called by many PDs and directors. Then, two years ago, she suddenly disappeared.”

There were rumors that she left Korea after being deeply hurt by controversies surrounding her acting skills.

If she appears on the show this time, it will be her first public appearance in two years.

“She was considered a rival to Soyeon when she started gaining popularity. If she had kept working, she probably would have reached Soyeon’s level.”

She turned out to be a more impressive actress than I thought.

I’m curious about the reason for her sudden disappearance.

“Park Seungho had a brief shine as a comedian, but he had business acumen and started a talent agency specializing in comedians, which did well for a while. 

He became famous as the CEO of Korea’s first comedy management agency.”

The agency, Smile Factory, was home to many famous comedians who dominated national comedy programs.

“Why did it fail?”

“His vice president took all the top comedians and started a new company, leaving Smile Factory empty. 

There were rumors of salary issues and Park Seungho’s abuse of power, but his reputation in the broadcast industry wasn’t bad. 

He tried to make a comeback a few times, but it didn’t work out. 

I don’t know what he’s doing now.”

As PD Shin said, he wasn’t someone who caused major scandals.

I’ll probably get a better sense of who he is once I talk to him directly.

“I’ll give you the date for the pre-interview, so take the kids to the broadcasting station. We’re filming the meeting about how to treat the guests, so tell Yeoreum to prepare well.”

“Got it.”

*****

After stopping by the accommodation, I told the kids about the meeting and the pre-interview details.

“It’s so far… we have to drive 6 hours to Mokpo, and then take a 3-hour boat ride?”

“Yeah. Even if the boat schedule matches, it’ll take half a day to get there.”

“Wow, we’ll be so tired by the time we arrive.”

Rina makes a tired face.

“We’re filming everything, so don’t show any bad expressions. The camera will always be next to you, so make sure to smile.”

“Of course. How could I not? This is a rare opportunity.”

“Even an ant’s diligence reaches the heavens.”

“What kind of proverb is that?”

“It means that even with little power, if you do your best, you can achieve your wishes. You all will do your best, so the show will definitely succeed.”

Chie says something admirable and gives Sera a tight hug.

I really like how good-hearted my kids are.

“In that case, let’s check your weight. Bring what you wrote down today.”

“Ughhh!”

Rina, who absolutely hated this moment, screamed.

*

The day of the pre-interview — I took the kids to tvM headquarters.

It was a shot of the participants and the PD talking about what they would do in a conference room set up like a set.

We arrived first and discussed parts of the script that needed revision with the writer.

Yeoreum spoke so carefully that I didn’t have much to do.

Since I was going to make a surprise appearance on Manwoldo, I wasn’t part of the pre-interview.

I waited in the back, then stepped outside because I needed to use the bathroom.

After using the restroom and coming out, I saw someone coming up the stairs.

It was Min Ahyoung, who I was supposed to film with.

She was startled when she saw me, so I nodded slightly, pretending it was nothing.

As she walked past me, she suddenly said,”Excuse me… just a moment…”

“Yes?”

When I stopped, she turned around and carefully examined my back.

What is this?

“I… what’s on my back?”

She turned back and stared at me intently.

This was the first time seeing her face in person, not just on screen.

She was a beauty with delicate features, but her gaze was somewhat dark.

“Well… I don’t think you’ll believe this, but…”

What is she trying to say?

“There’s light behind you.”